GROUP OF HEAVY SOILS. 
21 
some white birch, basswood, maple and white pine. Most of 
the soil having fairly level or undulating topography has been 
cleared and cultivated for many years. A large part of the 
steep phase is still timbered as are a few of the more isolated 
forties which are not steep. The timber is mostly second growth 
oaks, poplar, and white birch. 
Present agricultural development .—The principal crops grown 
at the present time and the average yields obtained are as fol¬ 
lows r Corn, 40 to 45 bushels; oats, 35 to 45 bushels; barley, 
30 to 35 bushels; wheat, 20 to 25 bushels; and hay 2 to %y 2 
tons per acre. Oats are grown more extensively than any other 
grain crops. The acreage of barley is smaller than that of oats 
and the acreage devoted to wheat is still less. The quality of 
the small grains grown on the Knox silt loam is excellent, and 
this soil is generally held to be a better grain soil than any of 
the other soils of Jackson County. Corn, on the other hand, 
does not do so well on this type as on the darker-colored soils 
of the Wabash or Bates series, though the crop is successfully 
grown where ever this soil occurs. Most of the grain and corn 
grown is fed to stock on the farms, though elevators at Hixton, 
Fairchild, and Taylor, and numerous grist mills still ship much 
oats and barley and some wheat. Where the land is well farmed, 
but little trouble is experienced in growing clover. When 
the snowfall is light, the alternate freezing and thawing of the 
ground sometimes kills out clover. Pasturage, in general, is 
excellent, being scant only in very dry weather, or on shallow 
slopes or knolls exposed directly to the sun. 
Buckwheat, rye, and sorghum are produced on this soil, but 
their acreage is never large. Alfalfa is successfully grown by 
very few farmers though the acreage will no doubt be gradually 
increased, as the crop provides excellent feed, which is of great 
value, especially to the dairy farmers. Potatoes are grown for 
home use on practically every farm, but seldom on a commer¬ 
cial scale. Tobacco is grown to some extent, but the crop is 
generally grown on lighter soil. Beans and peas are not exten¬ 
sively grown on this type. Garden crops, such as strawberries, 
tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, and cucumbers, and bush berries 
all do well and are grown for home use, but seldom on a com¬ 
mercial scale. 
